David Fizdale Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Fire Head Coach David Fizdale

November 27th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

3:50pm: The Grizzlies have issued a press release formally announcing that they’ve parted ways with Fizdale.

“After a thorough evaluation, I decided a change in course was necessary to move forward and provide the team and organization its best chance at success this season and beyond,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement. “Coach Fizdale represented the Grizzlies and City of Memphis proudly, and we wish him well as he continues his career.”

3:26pm: The Grizzlies have fired head coach David Fizdale, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Associate head coach J.B. Bickerstaff will take over as Memphis’ interim head coach with Fizdale gone, Wojnarowski reports.

Fizdale’s ouster comes as a surprise, but the Grizzlies hit a low point on Sunday when a home loss to Brooklyn extended the team’s losing streak to eight games. In the wake of that defeat, star center Marc Gasol questioned Fizdale’s decision to bench him in the fourth quarter, expressing anger and confusion at not getting to play while the game slipped away from the Grizzlies.

Still, Fizdale did a solid job last season in his first stint as a head coach, leading the Grizzlies to a 43-39 record and a playoff berth. The team had also gotten off to a good start this season, winning seven of its first 11 games despite losing veteran leaders Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, and Tony Allen in the offseason. Memphis’ recent losing skid has taken place with standout point guard Mike Conley sidelined due to an Achilles injury.

Given Fizdale’s respectable on-court results, it seems probable that the Grizzlies made the change due to concerns about his relationship with Gasol and other Memphis players. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (Twitter link), the word out of Memphis in the offseason suggested that Gasol and Fizdale were already on poor terms, with some confrontations taking place in practice. Firing Fizdale this early in the season should send a signal to Gasol that the franchise is fully committed to its veteran center.

Before joining the Grizzlies, Fizdale as served a highly-regarded assistant coach in Miami, and Chris Mannix of The Vertical suggests (via Twitter) that it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eventually rejoin the Heat. However, it’s not clear if Fizdale will seek out a new job as soon as possible or if he’ll wait until after the 2017/18 season to try to return to the coaching ranks.

As for Bickerstaff, this is the second time in the last three seasons that he’ll take over as the interim head coach of an NBA team. Following Kevin McHale‘s ouster in Houston in November 2015, Bickerstaff – a veteran assistant with the Rockets at the time – assumed head coaching duties. However, when the Rockets sought out a permanent head coach after the season, Bickerstaff withdrew his name from consideration as the team opted to hire Mike D’Antoni.

After a year in which no NBA team made a coaching change, Fizdale is the second head coach to be dismissed since the 2017/18 season began — Earl Watson of the Suns was the first.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

David Fizdale, Marcus Smart Fined By NBA

April 19th, 2017 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA handed out a pair of fines on Wednesday, docking Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale $30K for his post-game rant about the officiating following his team’s Game 2 loss in San Antonio. The league also fined Marcus Smart $25K for making an obscene gesture toward home fans during the Celtics’ Game 2 loss to the Bulls.

Fizdale was a lock to be fined even before his Monday night rant concluded with the “take that for data” line that instantly went viral. The Grizzlies head coach spent time after Monday’s loss pointing to the free throw discrepancy between the two teams, after Kawhi Leonard shot more free throws than the entire Grizzlies squad.

According to Ronald Tillery of The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter links), Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley sent Fizdale a text early on Tuesday morning thanking him for his comments. Conley and his teammates intend to reimburse Fizdale for the $30K fine as a sign of appreciation for aggressively taking a stand on their behalf.

Meanwhile, Smart received his $25K fine after TNT cameras showed Smart appearing to exchange words with a fan in Boston before flipping him the bird. Head coach Brad Stevens called the incident, which came midway through the fourth quarter with the Celtics trailing the Bulls by a 14-point margin, “unacceptable.”

Tony Allen’s Future With The Grizzlies Remains Unclear

April 10th, 2017 at 5:10pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Tony Allen is a fan-favorite in Memphis, but since he’ll be a free agent at the end of the season, there’s a chance he finds himself playing for a team other than the Grizzlies next season.

“I don’t even want to think about that,” Allen said about the possibility of leaving over the summer (via Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal). “What I embody for this organization, everything that I embody, it would be almost like a divorce if I go somewhere.”

Memphis wants Allen back, but if the shooting guard is aiming for one last sizable deal, he may have to look elsewhere.

“I’ve already talked to the front office, and if it works out for us that we can have him back, I love him,” said coach David Fizdale when asked about Allen’s future “But I also know that we have to make some decisions based on what’s best for the unit. That’s where we’ll come together and we’ll see what’s on the table and we’ll give our input on what gives us our best chance moving forward.”

Next season, the franchise will pay approximately $74MM in salary to Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Chandler Parsons. The 2017/18 salary cap is expected to come in at $101MM, which doesn’t leave the Grizzlies with much salary cap space for its other dozen roster spots.

Allen, who turned 35 this season, was one of the best perimeter defenders in the league this season. He ranks third among shooting guards in ESPN’s Defensive Real Plus/Minus and he ranks eighth among non-bigs in NBAMath’s Defensive Points Saved.

It’s arguable that he’s the best perimeter defender in the history of the franchise. His playing style ushered in the team’s Grit-and-Grind era and the city of Memphis embraced the movement. Even if the era comes to an official end this summer, Allen will remain a part of the town.

“Even if I don’t sign here, I’m going to still live here,” he said. “I’m thankful, I’m glad that the city embraced me, my hard work and my work ethic. That’s what made that connection, that bond, that made me want to call myself a Memphian. You know I’m born in Chicago but I’m a Memphian.”

Allen is making slightly more than $5.5MM this season. I speculate that he could fetch a short-term deal with similar annual values in free agency. Given their cap woes, it remains to be seen whether the Grizzlies are willing to pay the market rate. Regardless, Allen knows where he wants to be.

“I really don’t know what’s going to happen, but what I do know is, my heart is here,” Allen said. “That big ‘ol blue face, that Grizzly bear, that’s where my heart is.”

Southwest Notes: Parker, Pelicans, Selden, Mavs

March 20th, 2017 at 10:16pm CST by Milo Taibi

Tony Parker spoke about his role on the Spurs with Jabari Young of MySanAntonio.com, saying he’s “blessed” to still have fun playing the game.

“Guys have worse (injuries); you know? Knees, Achilles, stuff like that,” Parker said. “I’ve been playing for 16 years. All season long for the Spurs, and then all summer internationally. And the way I play, with speed and going into the trees (the paint), getting hit so many times and going to the ground so many times, I feel very blessed to still be out there.”

Parker realizes his limitations at 34 years old, unable to fill the stat sheet the way he did in 2008/09, when he averaged 22 PPG with 6.9 APG. Nevertheless, Parker occupies an important spot in Gregg Popovich‘s rotation, and will be relied upon as San Antonio continues its march toward the postseason.

“It obviously helps if I play well,” said Parker. “I love it. I think the evolution in anybody’s career is, as you get older, you have to adjust to who is the main guys on your team. Try to be a factor just like Manu (Ginobili) did. Just like Timmy (Duncan] did. I just try and do the same thing.”

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 3/10/17

March 10th, 2017 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Friday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

Having signed him to a 10-day contract, the Mavericks have now recalled Manny Harris from their D-League affiliate, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Harris, assigned to the Texas Legends for one more game after signing with the Mavs on Thursday, put up 31 points last month in a loss to Northern Arizona.
The Pistons have sent Henry Ellenson and Michael Gbinije back to their D-League affiliate for the weekend, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. The Grand Rapids Drive will play games in Erie tonight and tomorrow.
Rookie guard Malik Beasley is headed to the Sioux Falls Skyforce on an assignment, the Nuggets announced today in a press release. Denver doesn’t have its own D-League squad yet, so this is Beasley’s fifth assignment to Miami’s affiliate.
The Lakers have assigned Ivica Zubac to the D-League for tonight’s game against Reno, per Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Zubac has had a more regular role for the Lakers over the last month, and will get a chance to suit up for the D-Fenders today with the NBA club not in action until Sunday.
The Knicks have assigned Maurice Ndour to Westchester, the team announced today (via Twitter). The rookie forward has averaged 14.3 PPG and 6.7 RPG in 12 D-League games this season.
The Grizzlies have assigned Deyonta Davis to the Iowa Energy, the team announced in a press release. The No. 31 overall pick in the 2016 draft, Davis has been used sparingly in David Fizdale’s rotation; accumulating four DNP’s over Memphis’ last seven games. Davis has averaged 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks over five games with the Energy in 2016/17.

Southwest Notes: D’Antoni, Beverley, Frazier, Mavs

December 16th, 2016 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets‘ Mike D’Antoni is the early favorite to be named Coach of the Year, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. D’Antoni’s up-tempo attack has turned James Harden into an MVP candidate and has made Houston a contender in the West. The Rockets are off to a 19-7 start after a disappointing 41-41 season under Kevin McHale and J.B. Bickerstaff. Stein says a close runner-up to D’Antoni is new Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, whose team is 18-9 despite an injury-filled start to the season.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Rockets are 13-2 since Patrick Beverley‘s return from injury and he may be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Houston has improved to 17th in defensive efficiency since it got Beverley back in the lineup, and he has a shot at becoming the first guard to win the award in 20 years. “I feel like I am the best defensive player in the league right now,” Beverley said. “I hope the whole world sees it. If we win games, more and more people see it. But the last guard to get the Defensive Player of the Year award was Gary Payton. Why not me? I have the same type of killer mindset that he had, the lateral quickness and quick hands. The swagger also. That’s one of my goals, my biggest goal. If I can get a goal like that, I will put my team in a position to win a lot of games.”
Pelicans point guard Tim Frazier will be sidelined with a contusion on a bone in his wrist, tweets Scott Kushner of The Advocate. Frazier estimates his recovery time at a week to 10 days.
Harrison Barnes has been a pleasant surprise in a dreadful season for the Mavericks, states Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News. After joining the team on a max contract this summer, Barnes has responded by averaging 20.4 points per game. In his weekly chat, Cowlishaw also addresses possible trades involving Wesley Matthews, Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut, as well as the potential consequences of shutting down Dirk Nowitzki for the rest of the season.

Western Notes: Pelicans, Nuggets, Suns

December 14th, 2016 at 10:31pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Alvin Gentry will find himself on the hot seat if the Pelicans continue to struggle, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes. New Orleans has won just 38 games since he took over the team, but the lack of success isn’t entirely his fault. Gentry hasn’t been able to implement complicated offensive sets because of a rash of injuries since taking over the job. He’s been forced to use 55 different starting lineups over the last two seasons and Deveney argues that Gentry deserves more time because of the instability.

Here’s more from the Western Conference:

Jameer Nelson has been a leader for Nuggets and many within the organization believe he possesses the skills to become a head coach down the road, Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders writes. “Jameer is the leader of our team,” Mike Malone said. “It’s been important because we have so many young players on this team. It’s great to have a young guy that can look to a guy like Jameer and how to act on and off of the court.”
The Nuggets should consider dealing Wilson Chandler and Minnesota would be a good destination for the veteran, Michael Pina of RealGM opines. Pina believes Denver could get a future first round pick for the small forward.
The Suns should deal Tyson Chandler in order to free up minutes for their younger frontcourt players, Keith P. Smith of RealGM contends. Smith argues that the team should be patient with its rebuild and not try to bring aboard any other veterans who don’t fit its timeline.
The Grizzlies are winning games despite a slew of injuries and Colin McGowen of RealGM believes coach David Fizdale deserves credit for his effective communication and aggressive defensive scheme. Memphis leads the league in defensive efficiency, as I noted in this week’s edition of Fantasy Hoops.

Heat Notes: Whiteside, Ellington, McGruder, Fizdale

November 27th, 2016 at 10:24am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat center Hassan Whiteside is ready to go from target to recruiter in the free agent market, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Whiteside was one of the top names in free agency over the summer, attracting interest from several organizations before re-signing with the Heat for $98MM over four years. Now he wants to be part of the effort to bring other big names to Miami. “When you start being around those guys a lot more, when you’re making the All-Star Game and when you’re making those different events where you get to meet the best players and hang around, that’s especially when you can build a bond with a lot of those guys,” Whiteside said. “I think that’s where a lot of recruitment comes from.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

Wayne Ellington should return soon from the quad injury that has sidelined him since the final preseason game, Winderman writes in a separate piece. The Heat signed Ellington in July to a two-year deal worth more than $12MM to bolster their outside shooting.
The Heat’s injury problems have created more playing time for Rodney McGruder, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. The rookie guard played more than 30 minutes twice this week, including some late-game experience. “It just puts you in those situations earlier than you ever would have expected,” he said. “I’m in a great situation with great teammates, a great coaching staff that believes in all of us. It makes it that much easier to go out there and play. For me, I just try to stay the course, and the minutes I do have — whatever they are — I treat them like crunch-time minutes. Because whenever you get out there those are important minutes.”
Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale says work ethic was the most important thing he learned during his time as an assistant under Erik Spoelstra, Navarro adds in the same story. Fizdale spent eight seasons in Miami before taking the Memphis job over the offseason. “I would put him against anybody in the league from the standpoint of preparation, time spent on watching film, really time spent on deep thought on what motivates his team, what guys to play,” Fizdale said of Spoelstra. “He’s a forward-thinking guy, really open minded, forward-thinking guy.”

Eastern Notes: Magic, Horford, Haslem

November 24th, 2016 at 10:02am CST by ChrisCrouse

Happy Thanksgiving, NBA fans! If you’re worried about overeating on this day of thanks, you’re not alone. Eating too much on Thanksgiving is a real issue in the NBA, as Josh Robbins of NBA.com details. “Every year, I warn our team against overeating and overdrinking, because you still have to have the mindset [of], ‘Yeah, it’s the holidays, but we have a game tomorrow,” Magic coach Frank Vogel said.

“If you overeat, you’re gonna feel all slow tomorrow, especially with turkey,” Nikola Vucevic added. “Yeah, you’ve got to be careful. The last few years, we did have a game right after Thanksgiving. I wish we didn’t. It’s much more fun when you don’t have a game the next day.”

Luckily, most of us won’t have to worry about preparing for an NBA game tomorrow, so enjoy the day and check out some notes from the Eastern Conference:

Jeff Green, whom Orlando signed to a one-year. $15MM contract during the offseason, believes the Magic need to correct their issues now and start playing better if they want to be in the playoff picture, Robbins relays in the same piece. “It’s got to come to a point where we’ve got to fix it now in order for us to be there at the end,” Green said. The 30-year-old hasn’t played especially well this season, as he only has a positive plus-minus in three of the team’s 15 games
The Celtics appreciate Al Horford‘s leadership and the way he plays the game, A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast Sportsnet writes. “Al can score the ball. But it’s all the little things that he does and how he gets the ball moving; it’s so contagious,” teammate Avery Bradley said.“He’s a leader; he speaks up. Sometimes the ball sticks. For Al to say something and us actually go out and move the ball around and it starts with him, it means a lot.”
Udonis Haslem always knew David Fizdale, who left the Heat to coach the Grizzlies during the offseason, was going to be a head coach in the league, as the Sun Sentinel passes along. “He was definitely head coach material. I expected him to leave a lot earlier,” Haslem said. The power forward added that Fizdale is players-coach and he can easily relate to what players have gone through to make it to the NBA.

And-Ones: Fizdale, Jefferson, Thompson

November 8th, 2016 at 10:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

New Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale has drawn rave reviews from a number of his former players, including Mike Miller, who says Memphis hit the jackpot by hiring the former Heat assistant this offseason, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. “He’ll do a great job because he can communicate,” Miller said. “At this level it’s becoming that, it’s communicating with your players and obviously being organized. He’s going to take that same culture that was in Miami. He’s from the Pat Riley [coaching] tree, you know he’s going to be organized and prepared. For him, the biggest challenge will be coaching the personnel and not the system. That’s going to be his challenge, but I think he’ll do a phenomenal job.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Cory Jefferson, who was in training camp with the Cavaliers this year, has signed a contract to join the D-League, Adam Johnson of D-League Digest reports (via Twitter). Jefferson’s rights are currently held by the Austin Spurs, San Antonio’s affiliate, Johnson adds.
Also signing a D-League contract is Mychel Thompson, whose rights are held by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Johnson relays (via Twitter). Thompson has played parts of the last three seasons with the Warriors’ affiliate. He also appeared in 14 games with Pallacanestro Varese of Italy last season before rejoining Santa Cruz.
Former Relativity Sports executives Happy Walters and Josh Swartz are launching a new venture, Catalyst Sports & Media, an agency that will focus on representing athletes who play basketball, soccer and esports, Ian Thomas and Liz Mullen of The Sports Business Journal report.